Integrating Relay with Gusto

Relay integrates with Gusto’s payroll software to give you access to:

• Detailed data for Gusto transactions, making it easy to distinguish the payroll cycle that a transaction belongs to—as well as the contractor name and method of payment for each payment made to a contractor using Gusto
• Email and in-app shortfall warnings weeks before a scheduled payroll when there is a risk of insufficient funds for an upcoming Gusto transaction
• Simplified account and corporate card provisioning—import team members from Gusto into Relay with just a few clicks to more easily provide team members access to banking and debit cards

Sections in this article:

• How to Connect Relay and Gusto
• Create a new Gusto account from Relay
• Understanding Gusto transaction data in Relay
• Receiving payroll shortfall alerts
• Importing team members from Gusto into Relay

Please note: Only Relay users with Administrator-level access will be able to set up the Gusto integration.

How to Connect Relay and Gusto

Connect your existing Gusto account to Relay

1. Log into your Relay account and click on Settings in the main menu.
2. Click on Integrations once you’re in the Settings section.
3. Scroll down to the Payroll integrations, and click on Connect beside the Gusto logo.
4. Click Login to Gusto. You will be taken to Gusto’s login page. Enter your Gusto login credentials.
5. Once you have logged into Gusto, you will be prompted to authorize Relay’s access to your Gusto account. Click Authorize.
6. Once authorized, you’ll be taken back to Relay. Click Save to complete the integration setup.

If you have access to multiple businesses in Gusto, you will be prompted to select the business that you would like to connect to your Relay account. When going through the integration setup for the first time, a user (like an accountant or bookkeeper) that has access to multiple businesses—in Relay and Gusto—should select all of the Gusto businesses that they would like to connect with to Relay. Then, from there, connect each individual Gusto business from the corresponding business account in Relay.

Create a new Gusto account from Relay

If you choose to create a new Gusto account from Relay, you’ll get a free 3-month trial of Gusto. No credit card is required to take advantage of the free trial.

1. Log into your Relay account and click on Settings in the main menu.
2. Click on Integrations once you’re in your Settings section.
3. Scroll down to the Payroll integrations, and click on Connect beside the Gusto logo.
4. Click Create a Gusto Account. You will be taken to a signup form that is prepopulated with the contact information you used to create your Relay account. Make sure the information is correct and then click Continue.
5. You will be taken to Gusto to complete your account setup and integration with Relay.
6. Follow the steps provided here to set up Relay as the bank that Gusto will pull money from for payroll.

Understanding Gusto transaction data in Relay

Gusto transactions will appear in your bank feed alongside Gusto’s logo. To see this data, navigate to Accounts and click on the checking account that Gusto pulls payroll payments from.

For each Gusto transaction (whether the integration is set up or not), Relay will indicate the type of transaction using one of the categories outlined here. A handful of examples are below.

• NET is the total amount of direct deposits made to salaried employees 
• REM is the amount of money paid to reimburse employees for business expenses
• TAX is the amount of tax sent to applicable state and federal agencies 
• CND is a direct deposit payment made to a contractor

Once the integration has been set up, you’ll also be able to see the payroll cycle that Gusto transactions belong to.

Payments made to contractors will include an additional level of detail. You’ll be able to see each contractor’s name and the method of payment (either direct deposit, check, historical payment, or correction payment).

Receiving payroll shortfall warnings

Relay will send payroll shortfall warnings via email and in-app prompts to Relay users that have access to the checking account that Gusto pulls payments from for payroll (email warnings will only be sent to users with admin-level access to the checking account).

You will first see shortfall warnings 14 days before a scheduled payment if there is a risk that insufficient funds may prevent Gusto from successfully initiating a scheduled payroll. 

Relay will determine shortfall risk based on previous Gusto transactions, account balance, and outgoing payments scheduled to take place before payroll. Within the in-app shortfall warning in your Accounts section, click on Review Projected Transactions to view the projected transactions that are putting the payroll payment at risk. 

Shortfall warnings will prompt you to:

• Cancel an upcoming scheduled transaction
• Pull money into Relay from an external account
• Transfer funds from another Relay checking account 

You can toggle shortfall warnings off by navigating to Settings > Integrations > Gusto > Edit.

Importing team members from Gusto into Relay

It’s easy to import team members into Relay from Gusto, streamlining the process of account and debit card provisioning for your employees.

Each team member imported from Gusto into Relay can be assigned users permissions appropriate for their role (bill payer, cardholder, etc.). There are seven different permission levels for invited team members, and they’re all outlined here.

To import a team member from Gusto:

1. Click on Team within Relay’s main menu, and then click on + Add Team Member.
2. In the modal that pops ups, select Gusto under “Import from a third-party service.”
3. Search for the team member that you would like to import and select them from the provided list—or enter the team member’s email address.
4. Select the permission level that you would like to give the imported team member, and then click Invite.

Invited team members will receive an email to set up their Relay account. Once complete, they’ll be able to log in to your Relay account. They will only be able to access the checking accounts, cards, and functionality that you have provided them access to when selecting their user permissions.

To connect an existing Relay and Gusto team member (Relay will recognize potential matches based on name or email), click on the contact in your team member list. You will see a prompt that says “Team Member Matches a Gusto Record”. Click “Link Gusto Record”. 

For imported and linked team members, Relay will update contact information (such as phone number and address) when changes are made to the team member’s profile in Gusto. 

Things to know

• If you have integrated your Relay account with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave, or Freshbooks, only the transaction category (NET, REM, etc.) will be present in your general ledger
• In-app payroll shortfall warnings will only be seen by Relay users that have access to the checking account that Gusto pulls payroll payments from, and emails will only be sent to admins